LOGINLeah
"Stop being dramatic, Dad." I giggled, huggging him. He kissed my forehead before I pulled back. "How is tomorrow?" I asked. "I have a meeting tomorrow. There is someone I was supposed to meet today, but he didn't show up. That brat," he sighed, a more serious look crossing his face. "Must be someone important." "Trust me, he is trouble," he shook his head. "Let's have dinner on Friday." "Perfect, I'll invite Mom, Ivy, and Liam." It has been a long time since we had a family meal together. He squezzed my hands. "Make sure your mother comes. I haven't seen her in two months, and it's killing me." I laughed, "I will." ***************************************** I pushed the café door open as I stepped inside, scanning for any sign of my crazy brunette friend. "Yo, bitch!" A loud, overly excited voice yelled. I cringed as Sam waved wildly from the window. For fuck's sake, Sam! "Shhh," I pressed my finger to my lips as I hurried over to where she sat, the eyes of annoyed customers on us. "I missed you!" she cried standing up and pulling me into a tight hug. It's only been two weeks, but whatever. "I missed you too," I replied as we pecked each other's cheeks before settling into our chairs. "I want the tea on what happened this morning!" She pressed, hitting the table lightly. My face turned sour at the thought of him. "Ugh. Don't get me started on that asshole," I said. He will see me around? In his fucking dreams. "Sounds like someone made an impression," she teased. "Let's not ruin the mood, please." I rolled my eyes. She leaned in, eyes sparkling. "Okay, but you can't deny his voice wasn't hot. I bet he's as gorgeous as he sounds. God, when I heard him over the phone, I swear I almost..." She purred, clamping her knees together and fanning herself. "Ew, Sam. You need help." "I need a dick. A big one." I scrunched my nose, and she burst out laughing. "Welcome, ladies," the waitress greeted with a smile. "Ready to order?" "The usual," Sam waved her off quickly. "How's Liam?" "He's fine," I replied. She raised her eyebrow. "That's not what I meant." I bit my bottom lip, my eyes flicking to the window, then back to her. "He hasn't." My voice was low. "Have you talked about it?" So many times. He gets angry each time I bring it up that I was starting to think I was the weird one. "Is it that bad?" She asked. I nodded. She reached down beside her chair, grabbed a brown shopping bag, and dropped it on the table. "What is this?" I asked, eyeing the bag. She pushed it across the table towards me, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Just something I got you while I was shopping," she giggled. "Something to spice up your sex life. You are welcome." I peeked inside the bag. My cheeks heated. A black lace nightdress. "I am not sure about this, Sam." "Just give it a try, babe," she urged. "Alright," I said, reluctantly, concluding in my mind that I wasn't going to put it on! Never. Contrary to what I swore, I did put it on. In my defence, I was just checking it out. I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection in the closet. Eyeing the black lace nightdress clinging to my body. My eyes shifted to the bag on the floor, which I had pulled the dress from. There were some toys in it. Some I was seeing for the first time. I can't believe she was serious about getting these for me. "What was I think taking it from her?" I bit my bottom lip, my cheeks burning. We had never used toys before, and I wasn't sure this see-through dress or the toys were what I needed. Especially when he didn't react seeing my naked body. My gaze caught a mole on my breast. My fingers absentmindedly traced it, and a shiver ran down my spine at the memory of a different touch. "Beautiful," he had whispered. My hand dropped to my side quickly. What are you doing, Leah? I shook my head, clenching my fist. "The fuck are you wearing?" Liam's voice boomed behind me. I spun to face him, my heart skipping a beat. "Shit, you scared me." I forced a nervous laugh. He stood at the doorway, his eyes narrowing as his eyes travelled down my body, and not in the way I had imagined they would. I wasn't expecting a reaction, but that look. The clear sign of disgust and anger broke my heart. I tugged at the hem of the dress nervously. "I was just about to change it." "Why did you wear it in the first place?" "I was just testing it. I..." My chest tightened. I bit my lip harder, blinking back tears. "Ignore me." I pulled the dress over my head, throwing it into the bag, and reaching for my night dress. He grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him. His expression darkened as his grip tightened around me. I winced, "You're hurting me." "You haven't answered me." "I thought you would like it," I snapped. "But clearly, you don't. " I yanked my arm free. I hissed when his nails scrapped my skin mistakenly. "You thought I'd like it?" He scoffed. "Is that all you think about, Leah? Sex?" He spat. "You keep demanding it like you are starved of it. Pressuring me to fuck you." My heart sank at his words. Was it what it had come to? Pressuring him to fuck me? Did I give him the impression that all I cared about was sex? I bit my inner cheek but the tears that welled in my eyes were so close to falling. "When was the last time you touched me?" I yelled, my voice breaking. "I've tried to understand you. I swear I've tried, Liam. You're always tired, or you can't get it up." "And you think that thing is going to change anything?" He mocked, pointing at the discarded dress. "You look like a fucking whore in that." "Liam!" The tears fell. "I can't believe we are having this conversation," he shook his head. "It must be nice coming from a wealthy family. You don't have to think of anything else but sex." "I didn't come home after a long day to deal with your shit," he murmured as he turned from me. I watched him leave, and when the door slammed shut behind him, I hugged myself, sinking to the floor. My body trembled with sobs. When had everything gone so wrong? When I woke up the next morning, liam had already left for work. He didn't even sleep in our room last night. Typical Liam, avoiding me after a fight like that, would solve anything. We needed to talk, and I would make sure we didn't sweep this under the rug like we do whenever we fought. **************************************************** I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. The doors were almost closed when they slid open again. Someone stepped in. The first thing that caught my eye was his black coat. My gaze trailed slowly upward, over his broad shoulders, sharp jaw shadowed by a well-groomed beard, and thin red lips. A jolt of electricity shot through me when our eyes finally met. I took a step back, my heart thudding in my chest. It was him. The stranger with a scar from yesterday who knew nothing about boundaries. The doors shut, sealing me inside with him.Yeah, keep going🤗
AidenShe lay on the bed, her chest rising shallowly beneath the thin blanket. Her skin was pale, her face swollen, bruises already blooming across her cheekbones and jaw, angry purple and red that I knew would darken by morning. There were marks along her side, too, where he'd hit her.I sat close, one of her hands resting in mine, limp and cold as I watched her breathe, counting every rise and fall of it.I couldn't tear my eyes away from her, terrified that the moment I did, something would go wrong. That she'd stop breathing, and I'd miss it."There is no sign of internal complications, so she should wake up soon. We're monitoring her closely to make sure..." The rest of the doctor's words faded into the background.Soon? I lifted my head, my gaze drifting back to her face, the split in her lip tearing at my chest. When was soon? Minutes? Hours? Tomorrow?Fuck. I needed an exact time.If I hadn't gone to see Freya. If I'd been a jerk as usual and followed her even after she told
LeahI sobbed into her shoulder, all the guilt I had carried for years crashing down at once. "I'm sorry... if I hadn't gone missing... if I hadn't —""Hush." Her fingers brushed my hair slowly. "It's not your fault you were kidnapped. It's not your fault—" she choked, holding me tighter as she cried with me"I was cruel to you and blamed you for everything," she said. "I needed someone to hate, Leah. I needed a place to pour all that pain, and you were the only one I could do that to."My chest ached. "I deserved it.""I never should have said those things to you."Her words only fueled my guilt, knowing I was protecting the man who killed her son.Around us, the room stayed quiet with mom, dad, and Roman just watching.After a while, Aunty pulled back just enough to look at my face.
LeahI was crying badly now, shaking so hard my knees nearly buckled."There were times," I whispered, hating myself for what I was about confessing, "times I thought you did. You didn't even have to say it. I felt it, I believed it and I loved you too."My throat closed."And that's what makes this worse, Aiden. I fucking loved you and you still broke me. Even after all these years, even when I thought you were dead, you still owned my heart. Does that even make any sense?"His hand cupped my face gently. "You're right," he said, his voice wrecked and stripped raw. "I don't know how to love the right way. But I'm trying, Leah. I swear I am."I shook my head, tears spilling faster."You say things like that so easily," I cried. "You swear you won't hurt me again and then you do something even worse the moment I let you back in
LeahJust hearing Aunty Louise's name had me running and flagging down a cab before Aria could finish her sentence."It's really bad this time," She sobbed over the phone. "She was found in the bathtub, and there was... there was blood everywhere, Leah." My hands shook throughout the ride, and I screamed at the driver more than once to speed up as my thoughts spiralled. I didn't want to imagine it, but the images came anyway.My phone buzzed all the way to the hospital, and I didn't bother checking it once.When I got there, my father was pacing the corridor, his phone clenched tightly in his hand while Aria sat nearby, one arm wrapped around her belly, her eyes swollen and red."Dad," I breathed as tears prickled my eyes.He turned on hearing my voice. "Leah."I ran into him just as he crossed the space between us, and he pulled me into his arms. I clung to his chest and cried."She'll be fine," he murmured, over and over, running his hand down my back, unsure if he was reassuring m
LeahThe hall was crowded with parents who stood in clusters, voices raised as they blamed the school and threatened to withdraw their children. I stayed at the far end of the room, away from them, hoping no one dragged me into a conversation i didn't have the energy for.My gaze kept drifting across the hall to where Aiden sat on the opposite side. He was impossible to miss as he was bigger than everyone else. And it seemed people kept their distance from him because an empty pocket of space formed around his chair.I chewed on the inside of my cheek and forced myself to look away.I was sure our eyes met outside. Even when I walked in, the only reason I'd found his seat easily was because he'd been shamelessly watching me. But the moment I turned, he wasn't looking like I'd imagined it.So why the fuck was he ignoring me? Had he lost his memory again? Or had he simply decided I wasn't worth the effort anymore?The thought lodged painfully in my chest.I hated that I cared at all.A
Leah "Leah," Sam called, jumping to her feet, phone clenched in her hand and eyes wild with worry. "Where have you been? I've been calling you—" she stopped as she took in my dishevelled state.I ran straight into her arms, my body folding into hers as if it had finally been given permission to collapse. I started crying, everything I'd been holding in since Storm's last words, finally breaking loose. "Hey... hey," she murmured as she wrapped herself around me. "What happened?"I shook my head against her shoulder, my sobs turning ugly and my chest aching badly. "What should I do, Sam? What should I do?" My voice cracked. "I still love him. I still love that bastard."Saying it out loud now felt like confessing a crime I swore to take to my grave.They sat the heart is complicated, but I think that's just a polite way of excusing stupidity. Because that's what the heart was, a stupid organ that makes you do stupid things. It never listens to reason, never heeds warnings. It charge







